Southern county development encroaches on owls' homes

Construction and development will not be stopped, but a federal agent wants a "reprieve" for the owls during their nesting season.

"The idea is not to kill any incubating females or babies in the burrows," said Robert Lee, special agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "They are federally protected migratory birds."

Burrowing owls are not the only creatures living in the area, located along Avenue P between 98th Street and 114th Street, but they are the only ones protected legally. The land houses prairie dogs, five species of birds, one kind of amphibian, five species of butterflies, five species of beetles and 10 different types of wildflowers.

"This is a legal issue," Lee said. "That's why I'm here. Butler Construction has been quite willing to work with me."

Lee marked off the owl burrows with stakes, and Allen Butler Construction Co. is working around the burrows.

According to the behavior of the birds, Lee said, the females are in a stage of incubating the eggs, some of which are beginning to hatch.

The construction site is home to 18 to 24 active burrows, Lee said.

Working around the burrows is not an inconvenience, said Jim Davis, vice president of Butler Construction.

"It hasn't been any problem," Davis said. "To work around something and preserve something like that isn't a burden. ... I'll never work through those areas."

He said the company has worked through some prairie dog burrows as it builds three roads through the property.

Quality Land and Homes of New Deal will handle the rest of the development.

Once further development begins, Lee said, wildlife personnel will hand-excavate the nests and relocate the animals, or raise the birds at the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and later release them.

Lee said he hopes to work long-term with builders and the agencies who handle building permits to educate them and the public about the legal protection of burrowing owls, their ecological importance and to identify areas that can be designated for their protection.

"We know these owls will eventually lose their homes," Lee said. "I want to raise awareness of the conflicts so projects can be scheduled and managed so it doesn't impact the birds while they're nesting."

Lee said there are other current conflicts between development and wildlife in the Lubbock area. He said he wants to work to keep burrowing owls in the county.

Sebastian Kitchen can be contacted at 766-8753 or skitchen@lubbockonline.com.